


The Three Moons

by EverGreenUrsa



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alive Hale pack, Alpha Peter Hale, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, M/M, Magic Stiles Stilinski, werewolves are known
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-12
Updated: 2018-06-13
Packaged: 2019-05-21 07:17:19
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,029
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14910840
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EverGreenUrsa/pseuds/EverGreenUrsa
Summary: A Cabaret/Greatest Showman/Burlesque AU No one asked for.





	1. Welcome to The Show

Stiles walked through the streets of Beacon Hills, the nightlife had picked up since he left for college, that was thanks to a local cabaret that had settled down in the heart of Beacon Hills called The Three Moons. It was set up by one of the local families, the Hales. It was a family business, primarily run by one Peter Hale the Master of Ceremonies and a cunning businessman and backed by his affluent family money as well as his respectable older sister Talia Hale and her husband Michael a local lawyer and doctor respectively. The Three Moons served all manner of clients which wasn’t a surprise considering the Hales themselves were werewolves and Talia did a lot of equal rights work in her free time. The supernatural had public knowledge since before Stiles was born, but humans still had a lot of backwards ideas with regards to the supernatural.

Which was part of why Stiles had to return home after school. Not a lot of people cared for the supernatural and still discriminated against the supernatural, even if they weren’t dangerous. Stiles was a spark, and he had of course started to explore his abilities, but he was doing rudimentary stuff, making a mountain ash circle, creating protective enchantments, he hadn’t really explored any of the dangerous stuff. Still his categorization as a Spark had put him at a distinct disadvantage in the working world. It didn’t help that he had studied History and Mythology, his intention had been to become an Emissary for a local pack. His mom had been one, and one of his “friends” at Berkeley who happened to be a wolf said they were looking for a new Emissary. However, when Stiles refused to put out for Ennis, the Berkeley Pack Alpha, he was immediately ejected from the running and was replaced with another emissary by the name of Jennifer. Yeah people suck like that. So Stiles graduated college with no job prospects and a mountain of debt and the only thing he could think of doing was going back home to Beacon Hills, lick his wounds, and begin looking for something else.

He quickly found out that even in Beacon Hills trying to find a job while also holding some amount of Supernatural status was near impossible. He did have a few promising offers but all of them rejected him because he didn’t have enough experience. But, really, how much experience do you need to know how to file paperwork and answer a phone. Sentient sandwiches could probably do the jobs that he was applying for but with the way some of these hiring managers acted you would think they were trying to cure cancer and solve world hunger all at once.

Stiles had not been quiet about his frustrations with the job market, his Dad had recommended Stiles just find something to get him by while he tried to find something that really captivated his interests and mentioned The Three Moons as a good place for a job.

“They pay well as long as you work hard, which I know you will. Plus, they have no problems with the supernatural since it’s practically run by the local pack. Who knows they may be able to point you in the direction of a pack in need of an emissary.” John had said over coffee one evening.

So, Stiles typed up his resume, sparse as it was, and made his way to The Three Moons.

When he arrived, he was taken back by the spectacle of it all, the actual location was huge and the line for entry was already forming and the place hadn’t even opened yet. A massive stadium at least five stories tall and the width of Beacon Hills High Schools football field. Twin searchlights stood sentry outside the main entry illuminating the growing twilight. Large red tapestries framed the front entry way and a large blue neon sign stating The Three Moons hung over the main doors. It was an intimidating first sight to say the least and the ravenous patrons only added to the intimidation. Thankfully he had called ahead, spoke to a woman who could have taken a few more courses on interpersonal communication, and knew to go to the side door and ask for Laura.

Stiles walked past the growing line and noticed a few pointed glares being directed at him, and a handful of the patrons in line shouted out that there was a line. The protests silenced when he walked straight past the main entrance and made his way around the side of the building. A burly black teen stood outside the side door and when Stiles approached he turned a dismissive glare to Stiles.

“No autographs.” He said in a monotone voice that caused Stiles to bark in laughter which caused the man to glare him.

“Sorry, not making fun of you, but honestly that was hilarious.” Stile said as he crossed his arms and did his best to impersonate the bouncer and in an exaggerated deep voice muttered. “No autographs.” He probably sounded closer to Phils impersonation of Zeus than impersonating the bouncer, but it got the guy to crack a smile.

“Actually, I called ahead and was told to come here and ask for Laura.” Stiles told the bouncer.

The bouncer knocked against the door three times and a few minutes later the door opened, and a large mane of blonde hair cascading down in soft ringlets erupted from it. A young woman stood their caramel eyes sizing Stiles up as ruby colored lips formed the words. “What’s up baby?”

“Got someone to see Laura.” The bouncer said to the young woman who continued to size Stiles up.

“Got it. Come on.” She said and turned on her very high heel and went back inside.

Stiles stood their speechless for a minute before she called after him.

“We mustn’t linger in doorways, it’s rude.” She called and that got Stiles moving.

He followed quickly after her, through a very large kitchen which permeated the most heavenly aromas Stiles has ever smelled, down a series of hallways that had all manner of people rushing through them in various state of dress and undress. One young man with curly blonde hair stopped in front of Stiles escort and asked. “Erica, green or brown?” Holding up a pair of scarves which she quickly snatched away.

“Neither, you wanted pyrotechnics for your slot, you got them. That means no scarves, Peter would kill me if I let you catch fire in the middle of your number.” Stiles escort, Erica, said.

“But…” the young man started to protest.

“NO, Isaac. Don’t make me get Derek.” Erica said cutting off the argument.

Isaac sagged visibly at that and turned to go back to what Stiles was assuming was his dressing room. Erica, meanwhile, proceeded through the halls and Stiles had to stumble after her to catch up. Eventually she got to a door marked L. Hale and went in holding a hand up to keep Stiles out.

A few minutes passed, and Erica emerged and winked at Stiles.

“She’ll see you now cutie, good luck.” With that Erica sauntered away with a swish in her hips that Stiles was honestly jealous of. He wished he had the kind of confidence that seemed to radiate from Erica.

Stiles walked in with a small amount of trepidation. He wasn’t sure what to expect from one Laura Hale. He wasn’t expecting to see a woman who was basically the mirror image of one Talia Hale, though upon closer inspection Stiles saw that her nose was a little sharper, her skin a little lighter. She was still a striking figure, Stiles decided right then and there he was probably not hot enough to work here. At least everyone he came across was a solid 8, Stiles was a 5 on days where he tried which weren’t many.

She sat at a large dark wooden desk typing away at a computer

“Stiles right? Cora told me to expect you. I apologize is she was a bit brash, she doesn’t usually handle any kind of business stuff, she hates it.” Laura asked him.

“Yes ma’am, and I get it, I would hate it too, no offense.” Stiles acknowledged as he passed her his resume.

“None taken.” She smiled at him taking his resume. She studied it for a moment and asked, “What made you pick history and mythology?”

“Uhm, well I like history and mythology. I know most people don’t really get jobs in their field and I am basically an information sponge. I was hoping to find a place as a pack emissary but the only promising opportunity I had fell through for…well reasons. I’m starting to think writing might be a thing I could do but I need a job now and as you can see I have, like, zero experience in basically anything. But, I am a hard worker and I’m dedicated when I find something I love. I take pride in everything I do. You could literally make me a bus boy and dishwasher and I promise you the tables will be so bussed, and the dishes will be so washed.” Stiles rambled. He went off in an embarrassing fashion and covered his mouth to stifle his word vomit.

Laura, being a good sport, chuckled and nodded at him.

“Yeah, the market is bullshit right now, you don’t have to tell me. I got my Masters Degree in Journalism and here I am acting as the quote “Talent Acquisition Specialist” for my Uncles Cabaret.” Laura said shaking her head. “Well you are in luck, we needed a new busboy/waiter.” Laura turned to Stiles standing and started to circle him. “You may even fit the uniform as it is which makes Erica’s life easier and that’s always good. You’re cute too so your bound to get good tips. Might even get new customers coming in just to see you.”

“So, I got the job?” Stiles asked with an air of caution.

“I can’t promise more than $15 an hour, but you’ll also get tips so that should make up for it, if it doesn’t let me know and we will figure something out.” Laura said as she pulled out some paperwork. “There are bi-annual reviews where you will get a raise, our raises have a 50-cent minimum, but we cap out at $25 an hour for the busboy job so if you want to make more you will have to transfer to another department or start performing yourself. Is that something you would be interested in?” Laura asked turning to Stiles.

Stiles, meanwhile was just standing their with his mouth agape. The best offers he had been given where for jobs that only came out to around $11.50 an hour. The prospect of earning almost $800 every two weeks was enough to leave him speechless.

“That’s more than every job I applied to in Berkeley was offering!” Stiles exclaimed, word vomit showing its ugly face once more.

Laura smiled and chuckled. “Yeah we try and provide a decent wage to all employee’s, most of us are here because we couldn’t find a decent paying job in the market and the family has enough money to provide our employees a decent wage. Truth is, if a company can’t it shouldn’t be in business.”

Before Stiles could stop himself, he shouted “Thank you! This is what I have been saying! I cannot tell you how frustrated I have been, we’re told go and get a good education, so we do, putting ourselves thousands of dollars in debt. Then, when we are ready to enter the workplace, we don’t have enough workplace experience. Then we’re told that we should have focused on getting real world work experience. Never mind that the education we just spent the last 4 years attaining is supposed to equate to 4 years of general workplace experience. On top of all of that we’re called entitled and lazy for asking for living wages. Like, what the hell!” At the end of Stiles rant he looked at Laura who was smirking at him.

“Shit, I totally didn’t mean to do that, and I promise I won’t while I am working. It’s just a bit of a sore spot, you know.” Stiles said trying to control the word vomit once more. Did he take his Adderall today? He’s pretty sure he did.

“It’s okay Stiles. Welcome to the team. So, I know its sudden, but do you think you could start tonight?” Laura asked taking on a sheepish face that just did not fit on her face.

Stiles just nodded. “Sure, point the way and I will get to it.”

Laura chuckled again at Stiles and called Erica on a phone located near her desk.

“Hey Erica, yeah, can you bring me a waiter uniform, yeah he is. I think he should be about the same measurements as Liam but taller. Perfect.” She hung up quickly and smiled at Stiles again. “Erica is going to bring your uniform and show you to the dressing room, give you a breakdown of everything. You’ll get a locker to put your things away in. Corey, Hayden, and Mason will show you the ropes of waiting and bussing. Good luck, and I will see you later.”

Erica walked in and immediately took Stiles arm and led him out of the office and through the labyrinth of hallways.

“Welcome to the Three Moons team cutie! Knew you’d get it. So, first things first, this is the backstage area only staff is allowed back here, you see someone who doesn’t look like they belong you tell the chocolate god at the back door. That’s Boyd by the way and yes, he is taken, by yours truly so don’t get any ideas. If you can’t find Boyd, find someone else and they will deal with it. Peter is the emcee, ringmaster, whatever the hell you want to call him. He runs the show, introduces the acts, and does a few bits of his own. He’s even got a regular duet with Jennifer, avoid her, she’s a conceited bitch. No, I don’t like her. Especially since she is constantly making me adjust her costume because there is always something wrong with them, but I digress. But, she’s the exception, the rest of us are awesome. Jackson can be a bit of a bitch, but he’s sweet when it counts. You will see half naked people, par for the course with a pack of wolves. No not everyone here is a were but the majority are and pretty much everyone else is some form of supernatural creature. Except Mason, you’ll meet him in a little bit, he is totes human. But his boyfriend is some weird chameleon chimera thing, I don’t 100% understand honestly but he’s pack. Almost everyone here is in some way connected to the Hale pack, that’s just kind of how it happened, but as a result its like one big happy fam. So, anyone does anything you don’t like, feel free to say as much. Most start as wait staff but if you prove your reliable you’ll probably get moved to another department quickly, if you have decent enough talent you may even get a part in the show. The Cabaret has a kind of Carnival-esque feel, not sure how it works but it does, the guests love it and Peter has made a killing 1000 times over since opening the place.”

They finally ended up at a room marked Men’s Dressing Room, Erica rapped quickly three times and opened the door and walked in heading straight to a back area with a bunch of black bags on hangers. In front of the mirror stood another model, obviously a pacific islander, bare chested with tight leather pants clinging to shapely glutes and legs. Stiles was going to die from the sexiness that seemed to run rampant around here. His self esteem had already buried itself.

“Hey Erica, what are you doing?” He called after her in a silken voice with a warm timber.

“Getting a waiter costume for Stiles. Yourself?” Erica called back to him.

“Finishing touches before the opening number.” He said straightening his hair in the wrap around vanity mirror that took up all the walls that didn’t have a doorway. He turned to Stiles and smiled warm and friendly. “I’m Danny, I do the fire spinning number with Parish.” And he extended his hand to Stiles for a handshake.

Stiles responded with his own hand and name “Stiles.”

“Here we go.” Erica walked out and handed Stiles a costume bag. “Put that on and store your stuff in a locker on the other end of the room. Once your dressed I will take you to the front of house and introduce you to the rest of the wait staff and they will give you the run down. But, you’ll need to be quick the show starts in 45 minutes.” Erica said checking her watch.

“Which means I need to go. Nice to meet you Stiles.” Danny said and exited quickly. Erica followed him out.

“I’ll be outside waiting Stiles.” She called behind herself.

Stiles changed as quickly as he could, had a minor freak out over how tight the pants and shirt were the suspenders were a nice touch though, and joined Erica in the hallway. She smirked and gave him the third once over for the night.

“Damn, you were cute in your plaid and batman t-shirt but you are a dish with some polish. Look at that ass!” She smirked wide and Stiles blushed violently at the appraisal. “Alright lets get going, Peter will kill me if I am not back here while the show is going.” With that she began leading him through the halls again.

“You’re not allowed to see the show?” Stiles asked, and Erica just chuckled. “I’m the Costume Mistress, I need to be back here for any wardrobe malfunctions and all the quick changes. It’s cool I get to see the show on my nights off, plus there are the rehearsals during the day. I get to see my fair share, don’t worry about me. Besides, I’m a big tough girl, I tie my own sandals and everything.”

“Okay first Ursula, now Meg! God you are getting so many awesome points.” Stiles exclaimed he had found another who was proving to be his nerd soulmate in every way.

Erica was about to say something, but just as she opened her mouth one of the doors they were walking past opened and a woman with dark brown hair and blue eyes stepped out, a saccharine smile plastered on her face. She looked at Stiles and turned her nose up just slightly and turned her attention to Erica. “Erica when you get a moment my costumes need to be taken in at the waist they felt a little blousy last night. It’ll be fine for the night, but I would really rather not deal with it tomorrow.”

Erica, barely suppressing a twitch in her left eye, glued on her own equally fake smile and said “Sure, right after I get Stiles set up with the rest of the house staff.”

The woman turned to Stiles again and said, “I didn’t realize we were desperate.” With that she retreated into her dressing room and closed the door with an audible click.

Erica growled slightly, taking Stiles by the arm and continued leading him through the backstage area to the house. “That was Jennifer, like I said, avoid her. She is a disease of self-satisfaction and entitlement. Honestly, I wish they would just find another acrobat, so they could can the bitch. I know Peter has been looking desperately. Problem is, she’s got a voice too, and she dances, and she’s a Druid so she’s quadruple threat and it has gone to her head in all the wrong ways.”

“That is quite a resume.” Stiles agreed.

Erica scoffed. “Most of what she does another person could learn if they tried and worked at it. They just haven’t found anyone willing to try. It’s a lot to ask I’ll admit. Plus, they need to be able to deal with Peters infamous sass. For the longest time everyone thought they were fucking and then Peter set the record straight by bringing a bevy of twinks to a bunch of pack gatherings. Not trying to say he’s a man whore, he’s not, they were all after his money apparently. Eventually he stopped dating altogether now he’s just really grumpy and sassy.”

“You sound like you really care about him.” Stiles observed, and Erica paused.

“He’s a good boss, and a good Alpha, I’m one of his Beta’s. Same with Isaac, Boyd, and his nephew Derek. Boyd, Isaac, and I knew Derek in High School eventually Peter offered and we all got the bite, for our own reasons. We’ve been together for a long time. They’re closer to family for me than my actual family.” Erica smiled softly at Stiles, shrugged, and opened the door at the end of the hallway they had been walking down. It opened into one of the largest stadiums Stiles had ever seen.

A theatre in the round, it looked almost like a circus ring, but the center was a platform instead of a ring. There was a large black curtain directly to Stiles right, the platform was circled by four balconies and at each balcony were several tables set up for between two to four people. In the center opposite the back curtain were a set of double doors that Stiles figured was the main entrance. Opposite from where he and Erica had exited was another set of double doors with sounds of clanging and sizzling, the kitchen.

Standing near the kitchen doors were three others a little bit younger than Stiles. A young woman with olive skin and soft curling dark hair. A young black man with an earing and sincere smile who was laughing at something that the brunette with the cherub face had said. Erica led Stiles to the group.

“Hey guys, I brought another for the ranks. Stiles this is Hayden, Mason, and Corey.” Erica said pointing to the young woman, sincere smile, and cherub face respectively. Stiles managed an awkward new guy wave and a “Hi.” Before Erica turned on her heel and walked back to the backstage. “Don’t let him drown on the first night guys I like him.” She called over her shoulder as she went through the doors.

Mason turned to Stiles and smiled wide. “Welcome to the show!"


	2. Surviving the First Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stiles' first night at The Three Moons

Stiles first night at The Three Moons was a whirlwind of insanity. Color, sound, and the fragrance of the food from the kitchen all collided in a kaleidoscope of infinite beauty that took his breath away. They ended up splitting the four levels in between them with Stiles floating around to pick up any slack while he learned the ropes. He was always within a few feet of Corey, Hayden, or Mason. Eventually though he started drifting away and taking care of people on his own. If there was anything he wasn’t sure about he made sure to ask one of the others but halfway through the night, he was managing fine on his own. At least he thought he was, he didn’t drop a single tray or order so there was that, solid points in Stiles favor. There were a few times the others had to snap him back to reality because he stopped mid-task to take in the sheer awesomeness that was the show. They were all good sports about it Mason even said that most of them did the same thing on their first night.

Still, nothing could prepare Stiles for the sex on legs that was emcee and Master of Ceremonies, Peter Hale. Stiles isn’t too proud to admit to staring slack jawed as Peter started the first number where he introduced the cast of the show. It was a fun intro, he danced around, made a few lewd jokes for the audience to laugh at without being tasteless, and good lord his voice could melt ice it was so hot. What was even better was that it wasn’t just a night full of various acts, there was an actual story for the evening. Mason had told Stiles that every few weeks Peter and Laura got together with the cast and they composed a whole new show for the following month. They kept things fresh regularly, which was why there were as many regulars as there were.

Everyone of the acts was amazing and some of them did things that Stiles had only ever seen in movies. Stiles had not met anyone yet, he doubted he would ever get a chance to since apparently the wait staff didn’t usually cross paths with the performers. The performers were supposed to be ready backstage 30 minutes before curtain call, right in time for the wait staff to start arriving. Still, Stiles swore if he ever got a chance to he would compliment Lydia on her singing, Allison for her awesome archery (Stiles was totally certain she was going to shoot her “lovely assistant” Scott right between the eyes, instead of hitting the apple on his head.), and he had to let Kira know about how he was ridiculously impressed by her contortionist act. Stiles was flexible, but not that flexible. Derek was the leader of the band that sat right at the perimeter of the stage and the man could play a mean guitar riff, plus he did things on the saxophone that would leave Yanni green with envy.

He even had to admit that Jennifer was impressive to, as much as it pained him to say, Stiles had always been fascinated by acrobatics. He always was most excited to see them when they went to the circus when he was a kid. She was also a very talented singer and dancer. Stiles only ever saw one problem with Jennifer, he could tell she was phoning it in. They were running a romance story this month, and Peter and Jennifer had a duet where he was trying to convince her to be with him. Peter was invested in the performance, Jennifer may as well have been on her phone the entire time. What was worse, the guests could tell too, several of Stiles tables were muttering about the half assed performance. Still, Stiles made sure they were fed promptly and kept their glasses full, per Masons instructions. He even managed to chat with a few of them, some noticing that he was a new face, at the end of the night all of Stiles tables were either drunk enough not to care or captivated by him enough to stay. (Though he wasn’t aware of the latter.)

When the final curtain fell and the last of the guests had departed Stiles felt exhausted in the best way possible. He hadn’t really had to deal with any angry or disruptive guests and a part of him suspected it was because no one wanted to upset the Hales. He had stayed busy throughout the night though, and it left him feeling very accomplished but very tired. Now, as the performers cleaned the stage and changed out of their costumes Stiles and the rest of the wait staff were cleaning up the dining area. Stiles was busy wiping down the tables, Hayden was rolling silverware, Corey was polishing glasses, and Mason was closing out the till.

“You want the usual Mason?” Derek called from the band area.

“If you don’t mind.” Mason called back.

Derek turned to the sound system fiddled with a few of the buttons and a soft melody came over the speakers. Oddly enough Stiles was familiar with the song, it was one of his mother’s favorites as well as one of her favorite artists. The song made him think of her so much, the lyrics alone resonated on such a real level and when he listened to it, it was like he could feel her grief over what happened. In her more lucid moments she had listened to it regularly, which is part of why it’s one of the few things he remembers most about her. Anytime he questioned himself at the end of her life he remembers this song, and he knows that in the moments where the disease took over her mind that it was in fact the disease talking and not the woman who taught him to bake, cook, sing, and dance. The woman who brought so much light into this world. His mother loved him, and this song proved it.

Before he knew he was singing along, softly twisting and spinning to the rhythm of the song that brought him peace and the most profound sadness he’s ever known.

_All alone I, didn’t like the feeling_  
All alone I, sat and cried  
All alone I, had to find some meaning  
In the center, of the pain I felt inside

_All alone I, came into this world_  
All alone I, will someday die  
Solid stone is just, sand and water baby  
Sand and Water, and a million years gone by

He moved from table to table, spraying the surface cleaner onto the wooden table tops, wiping in a circular pattern. In his head though, he was on his mother’s lap singing along to her current song obsession of the week. Standing in the kitchen learning how to make Pierogi. Laying in bed as she read him Little Red Riding Hood, The Golden Ball, and The Snow Queen.

_I will see you in the light of a thousand suns_  
I will hear you in the sound of the waves  
I will know you when I come as we all will come  
Through the doors beyond the grave

_All alone I, heal this heart of sorrow_  
All alone I, raise this child  
Flesh and bone he’s just, bursting towards tomorrow  
And his laughter fills my world and wears your smile

Stiles made his way through the tables cleaning and singing, paying no attention to his surroundings, lost in his own mind and the memories that he conjured up anytime this song played. Somewhere in his mind he recognized the coincidence of the whole situation, acknowledging that in the whole world of music it was a one in a million chance that this song would play, and at the same time he did not care. He loved this song with every ion of his existence for the sheer fact that it was proof that his mom was still his mom. He was not a murderer. That she had loved him and grieved for the man he would become and the fact that she would never get to see that. At the same time, it was a way for him to talk to her without her being there and a way for his dad to talk to her without her being there. It was a way for them to stay a family.

_I will see you in the light of a thousand suns_  
I will hear you in the sound of the waves  
I will know you when I come as we all will come  
Through the doors beyond the grave

_All alone I, came into this world_  
All alone I, will someday die  
Solid stone is just, sand and water baby  
Sand and Water, and a million years gone by

At the end of the song Stiles was finishing his last table after which he joined Hayden and Mason who was finishing up the register, Corey had already finished up and gone to the dressing room to change back into his street clothes. Stiles thought he saw Mason and Hayden giving him a look but dismissed it when they turned to each other and started talking for a second.

“So, what now?” Stiles asked.

“We are done, I have to go give this to Laura and Peter and they’ll double check it and take it to the bank on their way home. You can go ahead and get dressed and go home.” Mason smiled and together the three of them went to the backstage area. Most of the performers had cleared out already, which wasn’t a surprise since they showed up as early as they did. As they wove through the halls Mason split off and walked in a different direction.

Hayden led Stiles back to the dressing room area and before disappearing asked “So have you done any kind of performing yourself?”

Stiles just laughed, the idea of performing in any capacity seemed completely ridiculous.

“No, I’m a hazard in movement on a normal day. I wouldn’t want to think about the nuclear fallout that would be me getting on stage.” Stiles laughed and smiled genuinely at Hayden. She gave him a face that he was not familiar with, it could have been scrutinizing, he wasn’t sure.

“So, do I come in tomorrow? Is there an actual schedule? I’m not really too sure what the next step is?” Stiles asked. The question seemed to snap Hayden out of whatever thought bubble she was in and brought her attention back to the present.

“Oh, yeah Laura will probably text you a schedule for the week and then once they get you on the actual schedule which will be next week, their really good about that stuff, it’s posted right outside her office.” Hayden said, and Stiles just nodded along.

“And, if she doesn’t?” Stiles asked, wanting to cover every eventuality.

“She will, don’t stress about it. You’ll have it before you collapse in bed tonight and trust me you will collapse.” Hayden grinned wide in a way that told Stiles she spoke from experience and was getting some sort of twisted pleasure out of the idea that he was going to experience the same.

“Kay, well I guess then I will get changed and skedaddle huh?” Stiles asked, and Hayden just nodded an affirmative and walked into the women’s dressing room without waiting for any more questions Stiles might think of.

Stiles walked into the dressing room, the lights were still on and a bunch of portable hanging racks were overloaded with costumes, but despite the volume everything was orderly. The room looked like it had been freshly cleaned and smelled fresh and clean. Stiles had expected to come to a disaster area and the lingering fragrance of body odor but that was not the case.

He changed out of his uniform and back into his street clothes and for a minute he stood their wondering what to do with his uniform when he noticed Corey’s uniform hanging on one of the portable racks and that there were two open spaces, one with his name and one with Masons. So, Stiles put his uniform up in his designated spot copying the way that Corey had hung his up. He wasn’t certain it mattered but figured that it probably did.

When he was finished he walked out of the dressing room and practically ran into Mason.

“Hey man, have a good night okay. Also, Laura said she’ll text you your schedule for the week, but if she doesn’t, you come in tomorrow night around 6:30 just like today. They’re dealing with a bit of an issue right now. I’m sure Hayden told you that she’s typically on top of that, but what they’re dealing with something tht may take a while and she may forget, it’s nothing personal it’s just that…” Before Mason could fully explain there was a slamming sound and what sounded like shouting. Mason just grimaced at the sounds and said again. “Like I said, they’re dealing with something.”

Stiles just nodded and chuckled, trying to defuse any tension.

“Tomorrow, 6:30 and I’ll be sure to have the bells.” He said making Mason laugh.

“Night Stiles.

“Night Mason, hey, uhm how do I…?” Stiles started asking how to find his way, but Mason seemed to read his mind.

Pointing down the hall Mason said, “Follow the hall till the last turn and go right, at the end of that hall is the back door.” He smiled again, Mason smiled a lot. 

“Thanks, well, again goodnight.” Stiles said and turned to start walking. Mason responded with his own goodnight as he went into the dressing room.

The women’s dressing room was cracked open and the lights were out, obviously Hayden had already gone home. Walking through the halls of the backstage area was so different from when he first arrived earlier that evening. There was so much life, so much movement, now Stiles felt like a serial killer was going to spring out of one of the empty rooms and chop him to bits. Stiles decided that he probably watched too many horror movies. It didn’t take long to get to the back door but as he was about to leave he heard hurried, stomping, footsteps heading his way from behind him. He turned around with just enough time to fall out of Jennifer’s way before she mowed him down on her way to the exit.

“Out of my way. You talentless scum.” She sniped at him, which rude!

She slammed through the door and it banged against the back-alley wall and she continued to stomp off.

“She’s such a delight. Really, I see why they keep her around.” Stiles muttered to himself pulling himself up from where he had fallen to not end up with Louboutin shoe prints all over his back.

“Are you alright?” A silken honey voice asked him, and when Stiles looked up to see the source he was struck dumb. Peter stood in front of him hand held out to Stiles offering help. When Stiles took the hand Peter offered it was like an electric shock ran through him. God, Stiles was so gone already it was unhealthy.

“Yeah, peachy keen, so peachy you could make a cobbler.” Stiles said losing control of his brain to mouth filter. Still it worked out for him because Peter was smirking in a way that left Stiles feeling floaty and glowy. Score 1 for Stiles.

“While I am positive that you are delicious, I don’t make it a habit of cooking my co-workers. You’re Stiles, yes?” Peter said smirking wider.

Stiles just chuckled at Peters joke and nodded the affirmative to his question.

“Well, I am Peter Hale and I wanted to welcome you to the show. I’m glad I got a chance to talk to you tonight. I would have spoken to you sooner but there was an issue I had to attend to.” Peter said all charm and smiles, though there was a glimmer of annoyance at the back of his eyes that wouldn’t be obvious if you weren’t paying close attention.

“It wouldn’t have anything to do with Miss Congeniality would it?” Stiles asked, not really being serious, just trying to make the man laugh again. As if on cue they heard the scream of screeching tires ripping across the asphalt. Stiles was rewarded with a full-bodied laugh that sounded like the deep reverberations of church bells. He really needed to reign in this crush.

“Clever boy. Unfortunately, not all of showbiz is peaches and cream, though we try to make it as fun as we can here, there are the sour grapes amongst the bushel.” Peter smiled a winningly warm smile. “Heading home for the night?” Peter asked making Stiles pointedly aware of the fact that he was still holding Peters hand.

“Yeah. Which is why I should probably let go of your hand. Sorry, I spaced out.” Stiles said, taking his hand and immediately noticing the loss of warmth.

“That’s quite alright. I will see you tomorrow then Stiles.” Peter said taking Stiles hand one more time and with a dramatic bow placed his lips softly on the top of Stiles hand.

“Kay.” Stiles said and watched as Peter turned on his heel and walked back down the hall, turning the corner and disappearing.

Stiles walked in a bit of a shocked stupor towards his Jeep. The parking lot was deserted and had he not been in Beacon Hills Stiles might have been nervous, but it was an event if they had a mountain lion let alone a murder. The Hales had always kept things calm and peaceful.

When Stiles got to his jeep he rubbed the top of his hand, where he felt the scorching ghost of Peters lips. How could anyone that he had just met leave him feeling like he had a thousand silken wings flapping haphazardly inside his stomach. The phrase butterflies in your stomach finally made sense. It felt too intense, like he was being hypnotized, but it didn’t feel bad it felt nice almost like it was meant to be.

Still, he had just met the guy and he couldn’t afford to fall hard and fast for someone he just met, not after basically having to basically uproot his life when it all fell apart back in Berkeley. Besides, who’s to say that’s not how Peter is with everyone. Though if it was he was ridiculously old fashioned, no one did the whole hand kissing thing anymore unless they were flirting. Then again, maybe Peter was just flirtatious, and it was all harmless and Stiles was just getting carried away and grasping at straws because Peter was hot like burning and Stiles would love to climb him like a tree. Stiles needed to get laid and cut back on the Adderall a bit. His brain was going at a rate that it hadn’t in a very long time and even Stiles was having trouble keeping up with his thoughts. Never a good thing. First thing was first though, he needed sleep and he couldn’t get that sitting in his jeep in an abandoned parking lot.

With that Stiles started up Roscoe and began the drive home. Tomorrow was another day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song is called Sand & Water by Beth Nielsen Chapman, you should check it out.


End file.
